Once the action gets going, the adventures and misadventures draw you in, and even as you're not exactly sure why there are so many wolves running around the lavish estate, the wolves do at least ratchet up the tension. Stephanie Beacham gives the odious Miss Slighcarp the over-the-top performance the character requires, and Mel Smith is comically bumbling as her foolish sidekick Grimshaw. Left in the care of the cruel Miss Slighcarp, the girls can hardly believe what is happening to their once happy home. Overall, the acting is very good, especially compared to most children's movies. Wicked wolves and a grim governess threaten Bonnie and her cousin Sylvia when Bonnie’s parents leave Willoughby Chase for a sea voyage. Which isn't to say that this is a bad movie, but it does go out of its way to exaggerate the suspense and general air of bleakness hanging over 19th century England. Plot edit This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. The film was based on the 1962 novel of the same name, written by Joan Aiken. A pack of wolves runs around the countryside trying to maul every human they see, and there are bleak and brutal scenes of an orphan work house straight out of darkest Dickens, to say nothing of rats, intense chase scenes, and cartoonishly evil bad ladies and men. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase is a 1989 dark fantasy film directed by Stuart Orme (in his theatrical directorial debut) with a screenplay by William M. THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE has enough disturbing gothic imagery to provide younger children with plenty of material for nightmares. First published in 1962, it was originally intended as a bit of a spoof of the gothic Victorian adventures Joan Aiken read as a child.
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